Will the U.S. continue to enrich those whose wealth is already unimaginable, or will Congress invest in the care families need in order to work?
When doctors discovered a concerning spot during Martresa’s routine checkup, they urged her to come in immediately for further tests and treatment. But as a single mother caring for both her chronically ill mother and young daughter, Martresa faced an impossible choice. With no paid leave or caregiving support, seeking treatment meant potentially losing her job and health insurance. Like so many, she made the decision to put her family’s care before her own. A few years later, Martresa received an alarming cancer diagnosis—the consequence of a system that forces us to choose between work, caring for ourselves and caring for the people we love. It’s not a real choice at all.
The new Republican-dominated Congress has already begun preparations for debating new tax legislation, and Martresa’s story illuminates what’s at stake.
The 2017 Trump tax policy ensured billionaires and corporations benefited from massive tax breaks, while families across America struggled to afford the basics, including essential care for their loved ones. We’re entering round two—a chance to offer a better answer to a fundamental question about the future of our economy and the country. Will we continue to enrich those whose wealth is already unimaginable, or will we invest in families and the care that the vast majority of working Americans need in order to work?
More tax cuts for billionaires would only make life harder for the people who power our economy with their work and care.
Under current tax law, thanks to the Trump tax cuts of 2017, the wealthiest 1 percent of households can expect an average benefit of $60,000 in 2025. The average family caregiver or care worker will receive less than $500—barely $40 per month. Meanwhile, childcare costs for two children exceeds monthly rent payments in every single state in the nation. The average room in a nursing home costs approximately $100,000 per year. Home care for aging adults or disabled people can cost anywhere from $68,000 to $300,000 annually.
These numbers translate into real consequences for American families. Consider Mary, a 70-year-old Amazon worker in Raleigh, N.C., who continued working physically demanding shifts during cancer treatment because she couldn’t afford to take time off. Or Jillian from Delaware, whose father had to retire early to care for her autistic son after multiple daycare centers refused to accept him. Or Christopher from Pennsylvania, whose disabled teenage son only receives 16 hours of approved home care support despite needing round-the-clock assistance.
These conditions, ranging from indignity to disaster, are the direct result of policy choices that ignore the economic realities of working people in America. When the 2017 tax law slashed rates for corporations and the ultra-wealthy, it drained trillions in revenue that could have funded guaranteed paid leave and affordable care for children, seniors and people with disabilities. These cuts will be expiring, presenting us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape our priorities toward care.
Across partisan lines, families overwhelmingly support raising taxes on the wealthy to fund childcare, paid leave and senior and disability care.
The consequences of these choices touch every corner of our society. Half of family caregivers struggle alone, sacrificing their own health and financial security without assistance. Over 700,000 older adults and disabled people remain on waiting lists for home care services. More than 70 percent of private sector workers have no paid family leave, forcing one in four new mothers back to work within two weeks of giving birth—all while corporations report record profits.
This moral failure also has an economic toll we can’t afford. In addition to the individual sacrifices of caregivers and families, collectively, workers lose $22 billion annually in wages due to lack of paid leave, and our economy loses $122 billion in productivity from insufficient childcare. Meanwhile, nations that invest in care infrastructure see the benefits; if women’s labor force participation matched countries like Germany and Canada, it would generate more than $775 billion in additional economic activity each year.
Unpaid caregiving, disproportionately performed by women and especially women of color, is worth over $1 trillion annually yet remains grossly unsupported. Professional care workers—the backbone of our economy—cannot afford to care for their own families on the poverty wages they earn. When we fail to invest in care, we exacerbate every inequity, and we all feel the impact.
That is why, across partisan lines, families overwhelmingly support raising taxes on the wealthy to fund childcare, paid leave and senior and disability care. Recent polling shows two-thirds of Americans favor ending the 2017 tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent. They recognize what Congress must now acknowledge: Care isn’t a luxury to be rationed based on wealth—it’s essential infrastructure that should be a priority for public investment.
As lawmakers draft tax legislation, they should remember Martresa, Mary, Jillian, Christopher and the millions of American workers and families who simply want to live, work and care with dignity. More tax cuts for billionaires would only make life harder for the people who power our economy with their work and care. An investment in care recognizes and supports our greatest asset—the people.
